Indian Army TES-57 Recruitment 2026: 90 Vacancies, Eligibility, SSB & Apply Online (July 2027 Course)

1. What Is Indian Army TES-57 and Who Is It For?

Indian Army TES-57 is the 10+2 Technical Entry Scheme course starting in July 2027. It offers 90 provisional seats to unmarried men who scored at least 60% in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in Class 12 and appeared in JEE (Main) 2026. Selected candidates train for four years, earn an engineering degree, and are commissioned as Lieutenants with a Permanent Commission. Applications are free and close at 12:00 noon on 12 November 2026.

Most TES coverage stops at the eligibility list. The Vacancy Vedika Editorial Team read both the English and Hindi notifications clause by clause and turned them into decisions a Class 12 student actually has to make. This guide includes:

• Worked examples of the two-decimal PCM entry.
• Exact birth-date boundaries for the age limit.
• Your age at each rank if you commission in 2031.
• The rupee cost of leaving training midway.
• A list of avoidable mistakes that end candidatures.
• The five places where the two language versions of the notification contradict each other.

2. Who Conducts TES-57 and Where Is Training Held?

TES-57 is conducted by the Directorate General of Recruiting, part of the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army). Training is spread across four institutions:

• Three years at a Cadets Training Wing: CME Pune, MCTE Mhow or MCEME Secunderabad.
• One final year at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.

The engineering degree is governed by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Ordinance.

3. TES-57 Important Dates: How Much Time Is Left?

As of 3 November 2026, there are 9 days left to submit the TES-57 form and 6 days left to get a query answered. Every stage after the application window is listed as tentative in the notification.

Our calculation: if training runs on schedule without any relegation, TES-57 cadets would be commissioned around July 2031, four years after the course begins.

4. How Many Vacancies Are in TES-57?

TES-57 has 90 vacancies, and there is no category-wise reservation. All candidates compete on one merit list built from SSB marks. The figure is provisional: the notification ties it to training capacity at the Cadets Training Wings, and it can go up or down.

Not everyone on the merit list who gets a joining letter actually reports. A selected candidate who does not report within 7 days of the allotted reporting date can lose his seat, and the next candidate in merit is upgraded. If you are recommended and medically fit but just outside the first 90, keep watching your registered email and the website.

5. Who Is Eligible for Indian Army TES-57?

You are eligible for TES-57 only if you meet all of the following together:

• Unmarried man.
• Citizen of India or another qualifying nationality.
• At least 60% in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in Class 12.
• Appeared in JEE (Main) 2026.
• Born between 01 January 2008 and 01 January 2011.

A high JEE rank does not make up for failing any one of these.

Who should think twice before applying?

TES suits a candidate who is sure about a military career at 17–19. It is a poor fit in three situations:

• You want a guaranteed engineering branch. The Army allots your training wing, and your preference is only an input.
• You are unsure about committing four years. Leaving for personal reasons triggers recovery of training cost (see Section 17).
• You plan to marry before about 2031. The marriage bar applies until training ends.

6. How to Calculate Your PCM Percentage for TES-57

Your TES-57 PCM percentage is your total marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in Class 12, divided by the maximum marks for those three subjects, multiplied by 100. You must enter it to exactly two decimal places without rounding. A wrong entry found at any stage cancels your candidature.

These examples are our illustrations, not official samples. Candidate C shows the trap. Rounding 59.666 up to 60 looks harmless, but the notification bars rounding and treats a false PCM entry as grounds for outright rejection. A candidate at 59.66% is simply ineligible.

7. TES-57 Age Limit: Which Dates of Birth Qualify?

You qualify for TES-57 if your Class 10 certificate shows a birth date from 01 January 2008 to 01 January 2011, both days included. That works out to an age of 16½ to 19½ years on 01 July 2027. There is no age relaxation for OBC, SC, ST or EWS candidates.

8. What Is the Salary of an Indian Army TES Officer?

A TES officer is commissioned as a Lieutenant at Pay Level 10 (₹56,100–₹1,77,500) plus a Military Service Pay of ₹15,500 per month. The Army puts the total cost-to-company at about ₹17–18 lakh a year. Before commissioning, cadets earn nothing for three years, then a stipend of ₹56,100 per month during the fourth year at IMA Dehradun.

*Our calculations from the notification's figures. In Year 4, Gentlemen Cadets pay ₹12,500 a month towards Army Group Insurance, so ₹56,100 minus ₹12,500 leaves ₹43,600 before any other deductions. After commissioning, the Level 10 entry basic of ₹56,100 plus MSP of ₹15,500 gives a floor of ₹71,600 a month. Dearness Allowance, transport allowance and other entitlements are added on top, which is how the Army reaches its ₹17–18 lakh CTC estimate.

How old will you be at each rank?

Promotions up to Colonel (Time Scale) depend on years of reckonable commissioned service. The four training years do not count as commissioned service. The age range below is our projection for a TES-57 cadet commissioned in July 2031 with no relegation.

Which allowances apply after commissioning?

9. Is There Any Fee for TES-57?

No. TES-57 charges no application fee to any category, and the online form has no payment step. Anyone asking for money to submit or confirm a TES form is not part of the official process.

10. How Does the TES-57 Selection Process Work?

TES-57 selection has five stages: online application, shortlisting on the JEE Main 2026 CRL, a five-day SSB, a military medical examination, and a merit list based only on SSB marks. There is no written test conducted by the Army.

11. How Is the TES-57 Shortlisting Cut-off Decided?

The TES-57 cut-off is set by Army Headquarters using the JEE Main 2026 Common Rank List and other parameters it does not publish. The notification gives no fixed rank or percentile. The cut-off is expected in the 4th week of November 2026, and no correspondence is entertained about it.

How do you get an SSB centre and date?

Under the English notification, which prevails, shortlisted candidates log in and choose their own SSB centre and date from open slots on a first-come, first-served basis. A slot cannot be changed by the candidate once booked. The Directorate keeps the right to change it in exceptional circumstances.

The practical point: candidates who log in late after the cut-off is published get whatever centre and date are left. Being able to book quickly may matter as much as your rank in deciding where and when you test.

12. What Physical Standards Must You Meet on Joining?

There is no physical test at the TES SSB. Candidates who get joining letters must arrive at their Cadets Training Wing able to run 2.4 km in 10 minutes 30 seconds and do 40 push-ups and 6 pull-ups, along with the other standards below.

The gap between the final merit list and joining is short, so start training now rather than after the SSB. Height, weight and tattoo rules are not printed in the TES notification. They follow the officer-entry medical standards and tattoo policy on the Join Indian Army website.

13. Which CTW and Engineering Branch Will You Get?

Your Cadets Training Wing decides both your engineering branch and, usually, your parent Corps. You must rank all three CTWs, but the Army makes the final allotment, so a TES candidate cannot be certain of a branch when applying.

What are the rules for choosing a CTW?

• Only SSB-recommended candidates fill in CTW choices, and all three must be filled with no repeats.
• Choices cannot be changed once submitted.
• The joining instructions state your final CTW, and no change is allowed after that.
• You have no right of objection to the Arm or Service you are finally given.

What are the academic rules during the four years?

• The engineering degree is awarded under the JNU Ordinance after all four years.
• At most two relegations on academic grounds are allowed; a third means withdrawal from training.
• The degree carries no ante-date seniority.
• Selected candidates sign the same bonds as NDA cadets under Army Instruction 53/78.

14. How to Apply Online for TES-57: Step by Step

Apply for TES-57 online on joinindianarmy.nic.in before 12:00 noon on 12 November 2026. Submit only one application, and click Submit again every time you edit. Multiple applications cancel your candidature, and an edited form that is not resubmitted may not be saved.

What documents should you carry to the SSB?

15. Which Mistakes Get TES-57 Candidates Rejected?

Most TES-57 rejections that the notification describes come from avoidable paperwork and declaration errors, not from performance. Each row below is tied to a specific clause of the notification.

Two more rules are easy to miss. Any change of postal address after submitting must be sent by post, quoting your Roll Number, name and course. Selection also stays provisional until civil, police and education authorities verify your antecedents.

16. How Does the TES–NDA Common Medical Rule Work?

If you have applied for both TES and NDA, you take the medical for whichever entry recommends you first. Being declared UNFIT in either one makes you UNFIT for both, with no representation allowed. Otherwise, TES medicals are done at the nearest Military Hospital right after the SSB, under the Army's officer-entry standards.

17. What Does It Cost If You Leave TES Training?

A TES cadet who leaves training for personal reasons, or who marries during training, must repay the cost of training. The notification sets this at ₹13,940 per week (2021 rate, revised from time to time). By our calculation, that is roughly ₹7.2 lakh for every year spent at a CTW or IMA.

*Our arithmetic using the 2021 rate printed in the notification. The actual amount depends on the rate in force and the exact weeks you complete, so treat this as a scale of the commitment, not a bill.

What insurance cover do cadets get?

No disability benefit or ex-gratia is paid if the disability comes from alcoholism, drug use or a condition that existed before enrolment. Cadets withdrawn on disciplinary grounds, expelled as undesirable, or leaving voluntarily are also excluded. The cadet scheme in Years 1–3 has no savings component.

18. Where Do the English and Hindi Notifications Differ?

The TES-57 notification is printed in English and Hindi, and the two texts differ in at least five places. Note 8 of the notification says the English version prevails in any dispute, so candidates who read only the Hindi version may follow outdated or incomplete instructions.

19. Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions TES-57 applicants ask most often. If yours is not answered here, check the official notification or the Join Indian Army website.

20. Important Links

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)